Parliament - NRW gets independent police commissioner
In North Rhine-Westphalia, there will soon be an independent Police Ombudsman. The governments of CDU and Greens will introduce the law for this at the Landtag on Thursday. In the future, citizens and employees of the police can turn to this new contact person in the population-densest federal state.
Police Ombudsman in other states
This new point of contact is located at the Landtag and is intended to increase people's trust in the police. CDU and Greens had provided for its establishment in their coalition agreement. For the Greens, this was a particular concern. In several federal states, there are already Police Ombudsmen. In addition, the Bundestag elected Uli Groetsch as the first Federal Police Ombudsman in March.
Debate about the budget 2025
At the beginning of the Landtag session, there will be a current hour on request from the AfD about the financial situation of the state. The AfD demands clarification about the savings requests made by Finance Minister Marcus Optendrenk (CDU) from each department. This is intended to create transparency for the public regarding the financial situation and its consequences.
Optendrenk presented a supplementary budget and the draft budget for 2025 on Tuesday. For the first time, the state is making use of an exception to the debt brake and plans to make billions in debt. The state government intends to take out loans totaling more than three billion euros for this and the coming year.
Record budget - and still saving
Although the budget volume in 2025 is expected to increase by approximately three billion euros to a record value of over 105 billion euros, the departments must save around 3.6 billion euros according to Optendrenk's words. It's about "thousands of positions," he said. There will be no additional staff for all ministries. Additionally, there will be a hiring freeze.
- In response to the establishment of the Independent Police Ombudsman in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has requested a debate about the state's financial situation during the Landtag session.
- The AfD is pressing Finance Minister Marcus Optendrenk (CDU) to provide clarity about the savings requests made by each department, aiming to enhance transparency for the public.
- Despite the introduction of the Police Ombudsman in NRW, the AfD remains critical of the state's budget, with Optendrenk revealing plans to utilize an exception to the debt brake and incur billions in debt.
- The upcoming Police Ombudsman in NRW is a point of contention for the AfD, as they question the need for such an institution while the state grapples with financial challenges.
- Marcus Optendrenk, a CDU member, presented a supplementary budget and the draft budget for 2025, indicating that despite a significant increase in budget volume, various departments will be required to save 3.6 billion euros.
- Coincidentally, the co-governing parties in NRW, CDU and Greens, have established the Police Ombudsman, while the AfD, being part of the opposition, is criticizing the fiscal policies of the coalition government faction.
